Re-elect Suozzi in 3rd C.D.

Posted
Thursday, November 1, 2018 2:00 pm

Rep. Tom Suozzi has spoken of the importance of working across the aisle for a long time. After he was elected to Congress in 2016, he joined the Problem Solvers Caucus — 48 members of both parties who are committed to promoting bipartisan initiatives — and became its co-chair.

Asked what the group had accomplished, he candidly answered, “Nothing — yet.” But, he added, relationships have formed and trust among caucus members has grown. We believe this effort is needed now more than ever.

With immigration a white-hot issue, the Herald Gazette asked Suozzi about the Immigration Customs and Enforcement agency. He said that although as Nassau County executive he “kicked ICE out” because its officers were behaving like “cowboys,” he does not believe the agency should be eliminated. Law enforcement and the county should work with ICE when someone commits a felony, he said.

True to his North Shore roots, Suozzi supports an infrastructure bill that would aim to eliminate contaminants in drinking water, and fund the construction of sewers and environmental protections for the Long Island Sound. When it comes to guns, he supports background checks to keep firearms away from people with mental illness and those guilty of domestic violence, and federal funding for gun safety education. But change will not come, he maintains, until the opposing camps find common ground.

He sees a bright future for Long Island, which includes a technology center. His goal, he said, is to build a rocket in his district that would launch satellites into space.

His Republican challenger, newcomer Daniel DeBono, appears to care about the North Shore, but when asked about specific issues, he didn’t offer much in the way of a plan for how he would proceed if elected.